Grand Chase: The Tale of Zero The Wanderer
by FullMetalFurbee
Summary: His name is Zero. For years he has searched for his life's purpose, accompanied by his great sword Grandark. At long last, his day has come. There is nothing left to do now but fulfill his reason to live. He prays he makes it. Will the wanderer find what he seeks on this day? (Plans in progress to continue...)
1. A Promise Fulfilled

**~Void~**

Hideous violet flames danced feverishly about the chamber. The arch demon Void's petty annoyance was rapidly turning to rage. How did this stupid lowly _elf_ even find his way in here by himself? Usually those infernal children from Grand Chase didn't do _anything_ alone, especially not something this stupid! This miserable little kid with his fancy sword thought he could just sneak right on in past every single damn guard and still manage to _kill_ the great and powerful Void? That was just downright foolhardy. Thunder Hammer was Void's home. Mostly. He was certainly not going to let this little adventurer waltz right on in and remove him from the world in a "dashing feat of bravery and cunning," like everyone else always wanted to do, to be "heroes." Why else would this kid be here aside that reason? Ugh. Either way, it was a blatant waste of a good day. Dealing with miniscule little children who wanted to play the good guy. Felt more like a chore. Those dull dwarves who lived here didn't help either. It was partially their fault that this kid got in here. What where they doing anyway? Probably drowning themselves in alcohol. No matter though, there was still this incessant interloper to deal with.

"You. Boy. What is your name?" sneered Void.

The wanderer remained silent. If it was terror he felt, he showed no signs of it. That was also extremely foolhardy.

"You fetid little slime, I asked you your name!" barked the irked demon. His flames soared high into the air and swirled faster in response to the outrage.

"My name is Zero." said the wanderer, finally. "And the only reason I walk this earth...is to _kill_ _you_."

Void's annoyance subsided. He was mildly shocked. Sure, he was hated far and wide, yes, but only then did it become perfectly clear _how _hated. Perhaps someone actually had the gusto to defy his boundless power!

"The demon wars." Zero continued, " You remember those? You...you killed everyone..." He spoke slowly and purposefully, as if holding back heightening emotions. "You killed every single living soul who offered any trace resistance to your ceaseless onslaught! Most of them just wanted and end to all the death! But you killed everyone! You damnable monster!" Zero slowly drew his sword from his back. "So in response to your unrestrained bloodbath, the leader of the enlightened demons, Oz, started tempering a sword. Not before you struck him down with a mortal wound though. In his last moments, he managed to forge a sword so great that there would finally be a way to end your abominable existence. He called it Grandark. However, Grandark was such a menacing sword that no one who tried could successfully wield its power. Grandark was a monstrous behemoth that commanded dominion. It still does. So, that's where I come in." He paused for a moment.

"I'm not exactly sure if I was... created, or just in some kind of stasis... but that's why I was awakened. It seemed fated that _I_ would be the one to use Grandark. There wasn't a thing I could do about that. Like it or not, it was now my responsibility. My master explained that in order to end you, I needed to seek much more power. Taking his advice, I trained in secret for a several years and honed my strength. I practiced my ability to effortlessly wield Grandark. It _is_ very heavy, after all. Around that time my master took the time to explain to me why I was going on this quest. He explained the demon wars, Oz, everything. Then after I knew what was going on, he figured I was _finally_ ready to start my journey. And as I was leaving, he told me to kill you even if I was to perish in the struggle. So with his words of tribulation fresh in mind, I took Gran and left the safety of his refuge to set out for the world - to look for you. I'm betting that that part you _didn't_ know."

Again Zero paused, this time to take a breath. He still hadn't explained everything just yet.

"At times my task seemed too daunting and overwhelmingly futile. I would fall into deep despair and feel like accepting the idea that I couldn't do it. Wasn't worth it. How could a worthless pawn like me complete such an critically enormous mission? After all, I only had one purpose to be alive, and chances were I wouldn't complete it. But somehow I kept on going. I scoured the lands in search of you for years, sometimes more determined than others. Then, when I made my way into Starkiln's vast burning fields of molten hell, I encountered the Grand Chase. All of them were incredibly supportive of me. They told me I _could_ do it and to keep trying no matter what. I listened to them. And after all of the searching, the depression, and the excruciating challenge to get here, I made it. One of us is going to die today."

Void was silent. He was thinking very hard. This information was genuine news to him, because he had been offered almost no opposing force during the demon wars. However, this moment of reflection was short lived. Instead, Void chose to beam. It wasn't often someone acknowledged his great work with the wars! Needless to say, his pride wasn't suffering like Zero's self esteem.

"Zero..." he played with the name. "You're not an elf are you?"

Zero's creamy white hair was largely unkempt and hung low over his face. There was a sort of makeshift ponytail in the back, but his locks were still down past his shoulders. This unorthodox appearance added to the theory that he wasn't a true elf, as they were almost always prim and proper with their appearances.

"No," said Zero. "I'm a demon. Just like... you." He dreaded comparing himself to Void, but his words struck true. "That's why I think I must have been in some sort of catatonic state and lost my memory. How did you realize I wasn't an elf?"

"Really? You don't look like any demon I've seen." Void remarked, ignoring the question. "Of course, there's no way to prove that essentially, so I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. But do tell me Zero, why do you wear that mask?"

His query held validity. Zero did indeed bear a thin linear mask that covered only his eyes. He hadn't mentioned anything about it in his explanation. Surely there was some kind of point to it, as it looked simply ridiculous! It was apparently just a slab of dark gray metal with a neon green stripe running laterally in the center for vision and a little notch for Zero's nose.

Zero thought about this for a second. "It helps me...control my temper. It's better I keep it on."

A smile crept over Void's face ever so slowly. Perhaps this would be more interesting than he initially thought.

The greater demon bowed to his guest, and the purple flames silently receded downward then dispersed into the air. He figured he would give this one a fair fight after hearing that heartwarming monologue. That would save him the mess too. Probably. "Well then, Zero, shall we begin? Come find me at the pinnacle when you're ready. I'll not have you ruin my favorite chamber with your reckless smashing of things. Oh and take all the time you need too, because I highly doubt that I'm going to be the one that dies today."

With the cryptic warding, Void flashed into a maelstrom of purple energy and whisked away up towards the pinnacle.

** ~Zero~**

_The pinnacle, that's the highest point of a tower isn't it?_ Zero thought to himself. _Guess that's where I'm headed then. _Truth be told, this annoyed him. What a cocky blowhard Void was to treat the promise of his demise like a child's game.

After at least an hour of wandering around Thunder Hammer, (and warming up by knocking out many drunk guards out) Zero finally managed to stumble upon what must have been the stairway to the pinnacle of the dwarven fortress. As he made his way deeper into the threshold, a slight nausea set in in place of his previous self righteous anger. He understood this wasn't some simple quest given to him by Knight Master. This wasn't obtaining an apple from an ornery Treant. This wasn't even crippling Kaze'aze's plans! This was his entire reason for being alive! Right here! Right now! He absolutely** HAD** to slay Void. Countless souls were depending on him, and many more screaming to be avenged. An unfortunate fact that also came to light was that his best friends could no longer offer him any assistance. Not even his most ardent of allies. Sieghart would just dive in headfirst, trying to stab everything and surely make things worse. More than likely Dio would do the same. And then probably get into a fistfight with Sieghart. That new girl Rin seemed to be pretty powerful too. He had to admit, she was quite attractive. It would be worthwhile seeing how she developed her skills as she stayed with Grand Chase. She didn't have aggressive energy like Ley, Dio, or him, but somehow she forced her magic into an explosive blue aura. Very interesting. Unfortunately though, no one could aid him this time. Not even Mari's calm and collected etiquette would do much against his demonic nemesis. Ah, Mari... His mind pulled itself back to her. He just hoped he would live to see her again. At least once. But, the time for those thoughts were over now. All he was accomplishing now was psyching himself out before a time where he most certainly needed to be cool and reserved.

He took in a deep breath then exhaled. "Ready Gran? Will I find what I seek today?"

Without waiting for an answer, he proceeded up the eloquent red carpeted stairway. It was impossible to actually tell how high he was, as the staircase was a spiral and offered no frame of reference. He tried to focus and sharpen his wits, but images of all his friends kept flitting through his brain. Elesis, Lire, Arme, Lass, Ryan, Ronan, Amy, Jin, Sieghart, Mari, Dio, Ley, Rufus, and Rin. All of them had made his life a bit easier. And for that, he was infallibly thankful. He kept climbing. Minutes passed before he reached the top of the spiral staircase, but it naturally seemed like hours. This was clearly named the pinnacle for a reason. But finally, _finally_, the top. There was only a plain wooden door leading outside that separated him from the horrible demon. With Grandark drawn, his wits at long last focused sharp, and an unquenchable desire for vengeance raining deep inside, the wanderer opened the door and stepped outside to meet his opponent.

It was cold. That was the first thing he noticed. Granted his clothes didn't sport any insulation, the air was still unusually arctic. The sky was beginning to cloud up, and it looked like snow was eminent. The second thing he noticed was that the pinnacle was not a lavishly furnished room where Arawn sat smoking his pipe and looking out an extravagant window, but rather a level ground serving as the top of a great spire. Its architecture was simple: yielding only a large circular floor made of stone overlooking the entire fortress. Aside from the little cube structure leading back in, the whole platform was bare. Void hovered silently at the edge of the spire, staring out at the distant gray sky. Zero was not afraid. He was ready to end this.

"Void!" he shouted harshly.

The monster turned around and faced Zero, his cape flapping lightly in the icy wind. He showed no sign of fear either. Only a horrifyingly cold hatred blazed behind his eyes. He lifted a jagged gloved finger and pointed at Zero.

"Die."

Instantly, searing purple flames erupted forth from the demon's hand, hurtling towards Zero. He barely had time to raise Gran up to defend himself before the flames blasted into him, knocking him off his feet and causing the air around him to crackle with heat. He quickly rose to his feet, this time with enough perception time to spot a second ball of flame rushing towards him. He lifted Grandark with ease and swung a brutal vertical slash, dissipating the fireball. Now it was his turn. He hoisted Gran back up over his shoulder and in a flash he was barreling towards his enemy. The speed at which he ran was incredible, even to Void. It was as if he weighed nothing at all! He let out a roar and lunged at the dark creature, but Void teleported to safety at the other end of the spire. Zero's unrestrained power cleaved the air. His sword smashed ferociously into the ground, fracturing the stone. Cracks snaked outwards and bits of stone launched every which way. _Damn!_ He had to pull Gran out of the ground, which left him vulnerable. Before he could wrench the deadly weapon free, Void instantaneously appeared in front of him, arm drawn back. Zero lifted his own arm in defense but to no avail. Void slashed viciously at Zero, his clawed gloves leaving deep gashes on the wanderer's face. Zero cried out in pain and let go of Grandark. He lifted his hands and wiped away the free flowing blood. Fortunately there was none under his visor. He could still see. Before his foe could get in another cheap hit, Zero grabbed Gran's hilt with both hands and yanked forcefully. The sword came free and he stumbled backwards a bit from the shift in momentum. He kept his balance though and wheeled around to see where Void had gone. _Where is he?_ he thought frantically. He was nowhere! Preparing for a sneak attack from the absentee, he held Gran up in front of him in a defensive stance. All was silent. And it was still cold. Very cold. Zero could feel goosebumps budding on his exposed arms and neck. Still no sign of Void, either. He waited. And waited. And waited still, until his arm ached for release of holding up the massive sword. All of a sudden, Zero's heart stopped. There was a slight sound behind him. A very slight, almost inaudible sound. It was the sound of a cape flapping in the wind.

The claws that gabbed hold of his neck came with an unrelenting vice grip. They easily sliced his skin, causing a multitude of new wounds. Zero choked and quickly reached up to his neck, dropping Grandark for a second time. It clattered to the ground, offering no help. Roaring with a sickening rage, Void lobbed his flailing opponent straight into the door leading inside. Zero splintered though it like a cannonball and hit the back wall with a hard _THUD_. He raised his hand and tried to speak but only managed to cough and sputter vainly. His neck felt unusually warm and it was hard for him to breathe. Through a murky vision, he saw Void. The monster gracefully descended to his feet and sauntered toward Zero. He bore a smug expression that looked like a mix of grim satisfaction and disappointment.

"Pitiful!" he exclaimed. "You sniveling worm! You're worthless! What gave you the moronic notion that you could kill me! Look at you! A couple of cuts and you're down on your sorry ass choking up blood!"

He stopped in front of the incapacitated wanderer.

"It's a wonder that you ever made it this far. I mean, really! You're a terrible fighter!"

Not three seconds after he'd said that, an idea came to mind. "Unless, it's your sword that gives you your power..."

He turned and made his way toward the dormant weapon lying on the stone floor. He knelt down on his knees and examined the forest green Grandark.

"D-don't you touch Gran..." Zero managed to choke out.

"So this is Grandark," said Void, taking no heed to Zero's warning. "The mythical sword created to rival my own... Eclipse." He chuckled a bit. "I personally find it rather funny that I was easily able to cut you down without even _drawing_ my sword... that really shows how much "power" you have." he scorned. Looking back to Grandark, he let go of his cynicism. Zero himself was of little interest to him at the moment anyway. Grandark... The weapon was a beast of a sword. It was, in a word, gigantic. Zero had an absolute mastery over wielding it, he gave him that much.

Both of Gran's edges had sharp geometric teeth, making it much more of a smash and crush weapon than a slashing one. It reminded him of that tool the dwarves used when they needed to hastily chop down their trees. What was that called? A linksaw? A chainsaw? No matter. Running vertically down Grandark's shaft was a black line with neon green crisscross patterns that looked to be connecting the teeth to one another. Void's interest perked. Was this sword enchanted? Did it bear the frightening elemental powers of ice? Electricity? _Necromancy_? That would be delightful! Anyway, back to observation. The black line ran all the way down to the cross section of the hilt, where it filtered into what appeared to be a convex silver cap with a seam running latterly across its radius.

"I'm warning you..." said Zero in a low voice.

Void ran his finger across Grandark's green shaft. The material was cool and oddly, not very hard. It didn't appear to be metal. He grasped the hilt and lifted it up with him. He stood holding it lengthwise in his hands, admiring the intricate lines and patterns etched into Gran's design. The outer rim of the cap had some sort of inscription circling around it. The little symbols looked familiar, but Void couldn't exactly put his finger on them.

"Boy, are these moon glyphs?" he asked, intrigued. By now he was almost certain this weapon must have been enchanted. Somehow. He looked to Zero to see if he would answer his question. To his amusement, the wanderer was slowly getting to his knees. He looked at Void with a bloodstained face.

"Yes. They are moon glyphs. But Void... there's something else you really need to know about Grandark. Something very important."

Void humored him. "Oh, what's that?"

Zero climbed to his feet, wiped a drop of blood from his lip, and shook himself loose. "He's alive."

All of a sudden Gran's silver cap slid open at the seam, revealing a burning emerald eye, staring daggers at a stupefied Void.

"**Get your filthy hands off of me you unholy vagrant!**" boomed Grandark.

Void was petrified, he'd never in his immortal life seen anything like this! That was all the chance Zero needed.

"Grandark!" he shouted, "_Loss!_"

Pitch black spikes exploded out from Grandark, ripping through Void's armor like paper. The demon screeched in pain and immediately let go of the sword. He looked down at his torso and saw multiple penetration wounds. To make matters even worse, he felt his aggressive energy slowly fading away from within him. This was bad, this was very bad! Not for Zero, though. A light green crystalline aura surged out of Grandark's eye and whisked its ghostly tendrils to Zero, enveloping him in a brilliant mist of revitalizing vitae. The wanderer felt his strength steadily building back up. He started forward.

"NO!" screamed Void, fighting through his pain. "I'll tear you apart!" He reached to his back and drew the aforementioned Eclipse just as Zero reached Grandark. With an enraged stupor-like gait, he charged. Recklessly. Unfortunately for him though, he was awkward and off balance since most of his energy was gone. Zero easily rolled out of the way and countered with a nasty blow to Void's back. This was his game now. He slammed Void again right as he began to recover. Then again. And again. All of his emotions were rising as he relentlessly drove his sword into the greater demons body. There was the occasional window of opportunity for Void to ofer a feeble counterattack, but the wanderer knew he was winning the fight. _Grandark, Loss!_ He was almost there! Void's defenses were incredibly low! Zero roared with power and swung a low knee shot, sending Void sprawling onto the floor a few feet away. Before the infernal monster could even think about getting back to his feet, Zero gripped Grandark hard and leaped high into the air. As high as he possibly could, in fact. Right at the beautiful peak of his ascent, he produced a hidden chain from Gran's hilt and hurled the sword straight down. Onto Void.

"_Bleeding Gash!_"

**_-CRACK-KOW!-_**

If Zero had damaged the spire before, this time he utterly obliterated it. If _loss_ had pierced Void easily, this was killing a slime with Mari's _Core Break_. Grandark landed smack in the middle of Void's chest, and simply decimated the floor. Enormous black spikes shot up everywhere, churning up the stone and piercing through everything in their reach. Through some miracle though, the floor remained intact despite the extensive damage. That was good. That's what Zero needed. Now it was time for part two. Mustering up his strength, he tugged hard on the chain, forcing himself down towards the very same spot where Gran struck. He extended his elbow and prepared for a hard landing. Much to his delight, the floor was weaker than he thought. When he hit the ground, the decaying structure gave and completely fell apart. Enormous portions of the floor plummeted onto the staircase below, leaving gaping holes in the ceiling. Luckily for Zero, his point of impact was directly in the center of the floor. So when he and Void broke through, they didn't hit the staircase. They rocketed downwards right in the eye of the spiral. The wind screeched in Zero's ears as he fell; the staircase a red helix racing up and encircling him at blinding speeds. Chunks of floor and debris fell all around him, accompanying him on his terminal voyage. This was actually kind of fun! He did a somersault just for humor of it. Honestly he didn't know why he felt so jolly all of a sudden. Strictly speaking, his fight wasn't over. Although unexpectedly feeling joyous was better than unexpectedly feeling depressed. Deep in his oddly timed thoughts, Zero also forgot to expect the ground rushing up to meet him.

He felt like he was underwater. All of his senses were completely dulled. When he opened his eyes, only a distorted slew of colors greeted him. He closed his eyes again. His head was so swimmy... His breathing was shallow and all of his limbs were numb. Needless to say, he was not feeling very pleasant. Eventually his labored breathing began to take its toll on his body, as he felt himself falling back into the depths of unconsciousness. _No... must stay awake... have to finish..._ _Nnngh..._ The wanderer willed his body to come back to him. He tried to tell his mind to get up. But it was futile. With a fleeting feeling of danger, he slipped away once again.

This time, he awoke more fully. Although he felt equally as anguished. There was no telling how much time had passed since the fall. Or when he had lost consciousness again. His senses were still recuperating, but he was vaguely aware of a dull pain in his side. That meant he was alive. That was good. He tried to wiggle his fingers. Success! That meant he was alive AND he wasn't paralyzed. At least, not in his hand. He gathered his strength and shifted his weight to the side. Because of this, the source of his pain became harshly apparent. Sitting right smack on top of him, was a good sized hunk of stone. Zero groaned. It felt like his ribs might have cracked. He shoved the stone, just managing to slide it off of him. For a while he just lay there on the floor, splayed out and staring up at the sky through the hole in the spire that should have been a ceiling. Tiny flakes of snow silently filtered down from above, peppering his face. It would be so easy to just lie there and not care about anything else. It would be so easy to give up...

But he had to get up. His job wasn't over yet. He turned to his head to the side. A couple dozen feet away was another pile of rubble that seemed to be shifting. A clawed hand broke through and started pushing debris away. After a minute of this process, a crippled Void emerged from the pile. He was near death. It was obvious. Too much blood was escaping his broken body, and his breathing was even more ragged than Zero's. He stumbled out of his rocky entombment and looked around the floor. His gaze never found Zero, but it did find something else. Something more important. Grandark. The fatal demon limped towards the weapon, drawing Eclipse. It was no small effort for him - he strenuously lifted the great sword off his back and brought it down to his side. Zero still didn't have the strength to get up. He just laid there lamely and watched the events unfold. Void took awkward lumbering steps over to Grandark, and growled in inhuman disgust. His expression was erratic. Feral. He slowly lifted Eclipse high over his head, and brought it straight down onto Grandark's diamond eye.

The sword howled in pain. He had absolutely no defenses by himself. "Boy! H-help me!" he cried to Zero.

Void brought Eclipse down again. Hard. The serrated weapon slammed against Gran's eye, creating a large crack in the glass-like cornea. Green energy leaked forth out of the crack like blood and dissipated into the air. Grandark screamed again, his eye moving about wildly from side to side. "DAMMIT ZERO, HELP ME!" he pleaded.

A shot of adrenaline dropped into the wanderer's system. Within seconds his pain was dampened and he was on his feet, hobbling to his sword's rescue. He built up speed and charged wildly at Void in a full body take-down stance, filled with rage. Unfortunately the greater demon anticipated this. He raised a free hand and loosed a crazy ball of dark flames. There was no way to avoid it, so Zero did the only thing he could think of doing. He charged straight into it. The fire boiled his exposed skin and stung his eyes horribly, but he kept going. With a grunt, he threw his body against Void's. The force of the collision was big enough to knock the dark creature to the ground. Zero seethed with hatred for Void. He picked up the injured Grandark and screamed with blood lust. Despite the extreme tension of the situation, the critically wounded demon laughed insanely.

"You fool, you're clueless!" he spat. "Killing me won't stop anything! Your whole life is a fool's errand! AHAHAHA-"

**-SLAM-**

Gran's edge met Void's face, silencing him. Zero had never in his entire life felt this much hatred. It was as if he were physically burning to kill the monster before him. He raised Gran and and readied another attack. Void laughed through a mouthful of blood, his voice twinged with more than a hint of lunacy. In his final moments, the crazed demon could only look at this little pawn about to end him and laugh. After all, it was wickedly ironic, wasn't it? Cut down by one of his own...

**-SLAM-**

Grandark shattered his bones upon impact, crippling his body even further. The wanderer standing over him breathed in short loud grunts, his muscles strained in blind hate. "My name is Zero..." said the masked boy garbed in green. "And I made a promise to my master, and the entire world...that I would slay you or die trying, you vile wretch! And I'm not dead yet..."

**-SLAM-**

"So I intend..."

**-SLAM-**

"To keep..."

**-SLAM-**

"MY"

**-SLAM-**

"_GOD_"

**-SLAM-**

"_DAMN_"

**-SLAM-**

"**PROMISE!**"

Every single muscle in Zero's body tightened at once, and he screamed louder than anyone his size should've been able to. "_**DIIIEEEE!**_" he roared, and brought Grandark down one last time. There was no resistance. Dark scarlet liquid sprayed from the Demon's body, smattering the walls. Much to Zero's shock there was a ear-shattering explosion of glass fragments. A tiny hurricane of small pinprick sounds dancing around each other. He looked down, confused. Eight times he had viciously slugged his opponent with the sentient sword, but the very last hit was more powerful than all of the others fused. So powerful in fact, that Grandark had cracked clean in half - right in two. In the wanderer's hand was the hilt of a sword, and half of a glass like dome connected to it.

Grandark uttered a horrifying metallic squeal so pained that Zero covered his ears and grit his teeth. Gran's cries were garbled and distorted, as if he were underwater. "Boy...! What did you do to me!" bellowed the frantic sword. The emerald blood-like aura from before spilled forth, the unrestrained energy boiling the air and surging in an inferno of aggressive energy. The snow around him melted in the air and evaporated spontaneously. There was no way to escape. Zero was totally engulfed. The pain was so intense that he actually lost his vision for a brief moment. He fell to his knees in sheer agony, every nerve in his body overloaded with a sensation of intense scalding. This wasn't Gran's normal type of energy. In fact, all sorts of different elements pumped out randomly into the air. Although Zero was still enveloped in the aura storm, the pain only lasted for a few seconds. All sorts of feelings bombarded him as the different energies bled from the sword. One minute, his body was boiling from heat. The next, it felt as if his skin was shriveling from the hyper-concentration of ice in his bloodstream. At one point his stomach heaved so violently he vomited, violently expelling the acerbic bile in sloppy piles. Shortly after he felt himself being rejuvenated with the same healing aura of _Loss._ No matter what he felt, this was extremely bad. He had no idea if Grandark's soul would remain tethered to the physical sword, or if...

Well, Zero didn't allow himself to think like that. He dropped down onto all fours and looked at his sword. "Zero...I'm scared..." whispered Gran, his voice shaky and uncertain. Those words cut into him deeper than any wound ever could. Never, NEVER in the many years he had known Grandark, had the living sword ever been displayed fears. He wholeheartedly believed Gran. He could _hear_ the terror in his voice. That was what scared Zero. Gran was fully aware of just how dire the situation was. He knew he might not make it.

Zero tried desperately to comfort the fractured sword. He started to tell him that it wold be okay and that they would make it back together. He wanted to tell him that they could easily mend the break and he would make a full recovery, but he didn't get the chance. At the exact second when Zero opened his mouth to speak, Grandark exploded. A green star turned Supernova. Before Zero's mind could even register what happened, the shock wave reached him and everything went black.


	2. A Dramatic Turn of Events

**~Mari~**

"Thanks so much for the parts!" exclaimed a justifiably excited Mari . She threw some gold coins (more than enough) to the shop owner and promptly started off for home. The aged mechanic smiled behind his greasy counter top.

"Take care, miss!" he called after her. It always did his heart well when a customer came that still took an interest in traditional quality engineering. Seemed like all the youngsters who retained the vigor to slay evil nowadays limited themselves to fighting with swords, magic, or bows. Although, there had been an apparent increase in the number of benevolent demons around recently. Supposedly they had some kind of special energy which they could manifest into physical attacks. Nevertheless, almost no one practiced the delicate art of machinery anymore. Except this girl. The girl with the red and blue eyes... She clearly had an extensive knowledge of what she was buying, as she asked for parts that were so rare they couldn't be bought from a regular marketplace! He special ordered them a month ago for her, and had been promised payment for them on the very day they arrived. True to her word, the girl had paid in full. She was serious about her machines. There wasn't much else to be said about the peculiar eyed engineer, but she sure was an intuitive character.

Mari was eager to get back to Serdin Castle. These new parts would hopefully supply her with all the resources she needed to finish several projects she was working on. _An upgrade for KORMET, a fifth soul taker, definitely a more efficient mana divider..._ Her list went on and on. She sighed contentedly and grinned. After all, she'd been waiting for over a month for this new shipment to come in! For a brief moment, her train of thought switched tracks. _Oh my, it's getting quite cloudy,_ she observed. _Looks like snow..._ A memory of Kounat flashed through her head, but she shuddered and quickly shook the ghostly image away. For now she'd probably be better off sticking to her project schematics. Clutching the box of parts to her chest, she pushed her glasses up and increased her pace. She had much work to do, and didn't want to be caught outside if the weather did take a turn for the worse.

Fortunately everything back at the castle was as she left it. Arme and Lass were playing with bombs, Ryan was traipsing around the hallways as the Nephlim knocking over expensive pottery, Sieghart was sleeping in the foyer, and everyone else was off doing their own thing. (That new girl Rin was off on her first mission at "trial forest.") It was a missionless lazy day. Even Knight Master seemed to have her perils sorted out.

There was only one person who wasn't enjoying his day off. Zero. He had been gone for three days now on some ultra secretive personal sojourn. To make matters worse, he had insisted on going alone. Mari just hoped he was alright. No matter what he was up to. Usually he was fine, though. Especially with Grandark watching out for him. Despite the sword's crass personality and brazen lack of common sense, he offered Zero a decently rounded sense of protection. There was something about that green wanderer that Mari liked. He was always so down to earth and focused. Sort of like her. He was never ill tempered though. Never sullen or depressed. If he was, he did a fantastic job of hiding it. He loved to joke and fool around just like everyone else did, once he felt comfortable. The best part about him, at least to Mari, was that he understood most everyone. And by most everyone, that meant her. More so perhaps than any other member of Grand Chase. Even Sieghart. Sieg had saved her life, and she was forever thankful for that, but she just didn't feel the same way about him as she did Zero. He took interest in her machinery. Sometimes he even watched her work on her projects. He knew that life had a logical side too. A side that made sense and fit together, a mechanical side. These were the qualities Mari had come to appreciate in Zero. Perhaps because they were such common themes between them. To her, he was a blueprint example of a great friend.

She made her way upstairs and to her room. Now, for that little robot of hers...

"KORMET?" called Mari. She couldn't see her assistant anywhere. He wasn't on the worktable. He wasn't on his charger. "KORMET come here, I have something for you..." Mari coaxed. Nothing. "It's something _good_, it's a surprise!" Apparently that did the trick, as a mountain of schematic papers on the floor started to shift. Out blossomed a compact blue robot, rising up from his papery cocoon to greet his master. "Hello Mari." said KORMET. Mari beamed. "Hello KORMET. Come over to the table, I have some new parts for you." Like a child promised candy, the cute robot quickly hovered over to the table and secured himself in place, eager (as a robot could be) to finally get an upgrade. The wizardry engineer got right to work, tinkering and tampering. Adding a gear here and a jolt of ancient magic there. She worked for vast expanses of time without so much as glancing up, immune to such trivial matters as hunger or the need to use the bathroom. Outside the snow had begun falling lightly, speckling the ground with sparse blankets of white. When Mari finally did stop and take a break, she realized with mild surprise that six hours had come and passed since she began working. A quick glance out the window proved the snow hadn't stopped either. It was sticking pretty well now; there were several inches on the ground.

With the lapse of time now coming into focus, Mari decided that at the very least she should try and get a few hours sleep before starting up work again in the morning. She climbed into bed without changing clothes and pulled the covers up, looking at sleep as more of a chore to waste time. Despite her thoughts firing off in constant motion, she easily drifted off. Alas, morning didn't come peaceably as expected.

A shrill piercing scream violently ripped sleep away from her. _What? What's going on? What time is it?_ she wondered. She willed herself to get up as fast as her body would carry her, but she was much slower than she wanted to be. Lumbering out into the hall, she was joined by the others who were just as confused as she.

"What time is it?" whined Amy, rubbing her eyes.

"It's dawn," said Sieghart flatly. "Sun's just comin' up."

Mari peered at the window at the end of the hall. It was dawn, and it was early. Excruciatingly early. The crepuscular sunlight outside refracted off the puffy snow, hurting her eyes.

"Who the hell is screaming?" demanded an agitated Elesis, poking her head out the door.

As if in response, a roiling crimson portal deposited Ley in front of the group. She looked quite frightened, her eyes wide and frantic with worry.

"You guys! Please, come quick! It's Zero! At the front of the castle! He's passed out and bleeding!"

It took just a second or two for everyone to wake up and realize what she was talking about, but soon the group all came to their senses. _Oh my god, is he okay? What do you think, genius! This could be bad... Where was he exactly? I don't know... C'mon, quit wasting time!_

When the team arrived, it was a grim scene indeed. Lying in the snow was a fatally wounded Zero, unconscious and freezing. His blood stained his hair and clothes, freezing them dark red. Next to his body was equally horrific sight. The wanderer's own sword Grandark, on the ground, completely snapped in half at the top of the hilt. The two pieces of the monster weapon lay next to each other, no trace of Gran's diamond green eye in the shattered dome. The early morning light lay darkly upon the sword, deluding its emerald green colors to a muted grayish hue.

The group was stunned. Petrified. The situation was critical to say the least. Grave at best. No one was sure what to do.

Ronan stepped out of the group. "We can't just leave him here! I'll carry Zero, someone grab Grandark and take it inside!" The spell knight hurried over to the unmoving wanderer and gingerly lifted his ragged body. Ronan could tell just by carrying his comrade how bad his wounds were. Several of his ribs were fractured; he would be lucky if his lung wasn't punctured. And his head, he must have had some kind of concussion. So many significant cuts too...Everywhere. He figured that the chance of unknown internal wounds was around 100%. Zero's skin was bruised and scraped, he was viciously scalded, and now frozen; it was just awful. Ronan tiptoed on eggshells into the main foyer of the castle and deposited his unconscious teammate onto a nearby couch. He called to Amy, Ryan, and Arme to come over.

"Until we can figure out how to get him the proper medical attention, it would at least be worth a shot if you guys used your magic to try and boost his healing." he explained.

Mari appeared as well. She was trying at length to hold back tears. "Let me go get my grimoire, there might be something in it about healing..." she muttered, hurrying off to her room. The girls and the druid nodded and started up their revitalizing abilities. Behind them, Jin and Dio huffed and puffed as they struggled to carry the two halves of Grandark inside. They set the pieces on the floor and stood up, unsure of how to offer further help.

"Does anyone know any doctors?" asked Elesis, attempting to get a grip on the situation.

"What about that goblin from the work sight in Alcubra," inquired Lass. "Barakhufu?"

Elesis scowled. "He's a really shady character...I doubt he would be willing to help us. I suppose we could ask him as a last resort, maybe. But let's hope we aren't forced to come to that."

"Lady Gaia?" suggested Ryan from across the foyer.

Again, Elesis didn't find this opinion useful. "Ryan I don't mean to insult your crush, but I just don't think her powers are strong enough to really help Zero. She's still recovering from Rukkha's pollution."

The druid didn't laugh. No one had any other ideas. The day had hardly begun and already it was already dire. Lire and Rufus sat on the couch opposite Zero, neither could help their feelings of guilt at how useless they were to their friend in need. Wasn't everyone supposed to be able to handle predicaments like this? At least to some degree? The turmoil in the room was palpable.

A minute later Mari returned downstairs, noticeable without her grimoire. "I- I'm really sorry everyone. None of my books had anything about healing in them." she said quietly. She was taking this the hardest, as she had always been the closest to Zero. Everyone knew this. They gave the sorrowful girl her space to deal with all the throbbing emotions. The Chasers remained for a while, silent, but eventually figured that there was nothing they could do until help arrived. Most of the team dispersed back to their rooms. The three working on sustaining Zero had given up for the time being. It was up to fate now. Before heading off upstairs, Elesis cautiously approached Mari. The engineer was sitting next to Zero, just fiddling with some screws and staring blankly.

"Hey Mari. I know this is really hard for you. We're all trying as hard as we can to think of ways to save him. I've notified Knight Master of what's going on. She's getting a hold of the best doctors in Bermesiah. And hey, don't worry about training or missions or anything. She said we could all take today off too." She chuckled a bit. "You know somethings up when we get two days off in a row. But really, if there's anything I can do to help you get through this, let me know."

Mari nodded. She didn't very much feel like discussing matters at the moment. Nor did she feel like indulging in attempted humor. To her mild annoyance, Elesis' black haired ancestor showed up too. Clearly Sieghart was also quite grief stricken by Zero's condition. After all, the pair would regularly spar together for training. Sieghart's superheated rage pitted against Zero's inhuman strength with Grandark, what a riveting challenge! Only the green wanderer and Dio (whom he cared slightly less for.) even posed as good training partners to him. But that might all have changed now...

Sieghart spoke softly. "Mari, I'm not asking you to do anything. But I just want you to know, Grandark isn't doing to well either. We don't even know if his soul is still, well..." He didn't have to say it, thankfully. "You're the only one who knows anything about repairs, Mari. It would help Zero enormously if maybe you just took a look at Gran, maybe see if there was anything you could do. None of the rest of us have any knowledge about major enchantments or ancient magic like you do. Like I said, I'm not asking you to, but that's how you could help Zero the most right now." He put his hand on hers. "And I'm sorry."

Mari took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right about Grandark. I'll take a look at him."

She loathed the idea of being useless. She convinced herself that she absolutely _had_ to help in some manor, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

"Jin. Dio. Would you be so kind?" she asked.

The two nodded. They hefted the Gran pieces up and began the strenuous process of transporting them upstairs. Mari followed close behind, seeds of worry leaking their poison into her thoughts. Hope. She just had to keep up hope.

The doctor was on his way, and surgery would commence immediately.


	3. As I Lay Dying

**~Zero~**

Did it always feel so good? Was it always so soothing and ambient, just floating there in a quiet black world? It felt, well, tranquilizing. No pain. No suffering. No worries. No regrets. No future. He felt like he could stay in this murk clouded plain forever. He'd done what he needed to, hadn't he? Besides, it wasn't so bad here. If he ever opened his eyes again, he would wake up to a wonderful life where his friends would congratulate him and everything would be back to normal. If he didn't, he would stay in this wonderful silent limbo that belonged entirely to him. He could just relax and sleep and think and be perfectly content. Honestly, both options were equally enticing. But alas, all this thinking quickly proved exhausting. The wanderer figured he might as well let the sedation of mortality lull him back into full unconsciousness.

Occasionally, when sudden spurts of alertness spiked up through his mind, he could hear voices. First, a soft female voice: "W-what are you doing now? I- it's so hard to watch..."  
>Then, a deep and unfamiliar voice: "I'm removing the ribs from his lungs. You may want to look away, it's going to bleed."<p>

All was silent aside from those two voices. Back to a dormant state of mind for another expanse of time. He weaved in and out of reality, back and forth across the ghostly ethereal line of living and non. At one point he actually came into awareness of a slight pressure on his body. But he felt so far away from the real world, like he was inside a gigantic hollow shell. His condition kept him suspended within a toasty darkness of cognizance deep within himself, out of danger's way. But there was that pressure again. Not painful, barely even perceivable. But it was affecting his body. His mind started to slur within itself. Thoughts fired in the wrong directions, didn't connect.

_Something's not right..._ thought the wanderer. His mind continued to melt away.

_Somthn dosnt make sense..._

_Whas happnen tme..._

_I cant..._

_I cant..._

_I dnt wanto..._

_Die..._

**(A/N Chapter 4 now in production! My sincerest apologies for taking so dreadfully long to get back to writing. Rest assured, I'll pick up the slack. However this chapter will be another lengthy one, so have patience please. Thank you all for reading!)**


	4. Falling Into Infinity

**~Sieghart~**

A shaggy black haired highlander indulged in the lovely aesthetic of peering out into the far-rolling hills that surrounded Serdin Castle. What a grand day it was! The sun was shining, people were in good spirits, and there were certainly monstrous powerhouse monsters just waiting to be slain somewhere. Oh yeah. Time to battle. Now the eager immortal's only dilemma was deciding on which weapon he should take. The gladius for longevity's sake? Sleaghgrim for style and flair? Rapiers for speed and efficiency? Or the Soluna for decimating everything? The choice was obvious.

Sieghart hefted the behemoth blade off its hold and brought it up over his shoulder like a lumberjack and his axe. With a mischievous grin and a last glance out the window, he took off for the door. _But wait..._ Who was that out in the field? There was someone sitting outside, not doing much of anything but gazing off into the distance and relaxing. Sieg stepped back to get a better look, just real quick. He squinted his charcoal eyes and observed._ Oh..._ he thought with mild surprise. _It's Zero._

**~Zero~**

People had always claimed that smell had the quickest route to memory in the brain. Memory and strong emotions. It was supposed to make people think of pleasant things. Like friends, per se, or childhoods. If that was supposed to be true, then how come he couldn't remember even a single thing when the breeze brought him the scent of a tawny summer day?

Such were the musings that Zero faced as he sat alone, staring into boundlessness. He didn't mind it, actually. Anything to help keep his mind off Grandark . The legendary living sword. Zero's greatest ally. The ally whom he had failed. No excuses. He should have saved him.

It was quite hard for the green garbed wanderer to accurately judge how he felt right the moment. There was a very miniscule chance that Grandark's soul could still be salvaged and brought back into the sword, but hopes were dwindling by the day. It had been three whole months since the Thunder Hammer incident. Now the only one besides him who still thought there was anything to be done was Mari, would routinely (in fact daily) check in on the two halves of the severed weapon and perform any operations she could to repair the delicate parts. Progress to Zero's knowledge: nill.

What was he then? Just a stupid amalgamated freak with a mask and an enigmatic personality. He was nothing. Why was he even alive? No reason. What would he do with his future now? It didn't matter. Why all the inner turbulence over things that happened definitively in the past and could not be altered? Absolutely no reason at all.

He flopped down onto his lush bed of grass. The sky sure did look different behind his obligatory linear mask. He closed his eyes. If he could just be pulled under the ground, into nothingness, would he do it? Yes. He really would. Sad that was one of the only things he could decide firmly upon. How was one supposed to find self worth when they literally had no standards left to live up to? No purpose whatsoever? One must hypothetically create a new one then. Well, staying with Grand Chase was a good way to start. They were his friends and surely they could offer him something meaningful. A long-term mission maybe. A rare item to get. A relic to uncover, or an unexplored continent to colonize. There must be something for him. There _had_ to be. That too he was sure of. However, it was slippery and fleeting. A purpose is fickle and only redeemable under correct circumstances.

He sat up and looked out to the far mountain ranges spanning the rim of the sky. Was the world spinning around him and passing him by? Or was it waiting for him? Waiting for him to grab its horns and kick it into motion?

A hand fell on his shoulder, unraveling his string of thoughts. He jumped a bit and glanced up. "Oh, Mari! I didn't hear you approaching." he said.

The blue haired machinist smiled down at him, greeting him with the foreign accent he relished so much. "Hi Zero. I saw you sitting out here by yourself and I thought maybe you might want some company? I mean, just, if you wanted to talk about anything."

Zero found it more than easy to accept her offer. "Oh, sure. That would be nice." he replied with a small grin.

Mari sat down next to her wayward wanderer friend and joined him in staring ethereally. A solid minute passed before either of them spoke again, but no doubt each was fully aware of the proximity of the other. Not embarrassed, just aware.

"You really feel in attuned to nature when you sit out here, huh?" asked Mari quietly. "The weather is quite optimal and the light is ideal. I can presume those are the conditions of a 'good day'." She paused for a minute. "I do feel rather atypical though. Reason being is this whole earthen biome. It's embracing, yet greatly untamed by man. When you watch the trees rustling in the wind, and the mountains jutting high in the distance, you can tell that no one can attain power over any of it. Paradoxically I'd liken it to harmonic entropy. After all, nature is, in my opinion, both the most alleviating yet pernicious entity I can think of." She noticed Zero's detached attention and blushed. "Sorry, I'll stop speaking like Ryan. What I'm trying to say is, I don't think I've ever just stopped to analyze how nature interacts with my emotions."

Zero nodded and smiled. "It's okay. I know what you mean." He laughed to himself for a second. "And if Ryan _was_ here, he'd probably give you a medal and ask you to be his new mentor.

They both laughed at this, especially given the truth behind the statement. The two took their time recovering from the joke, giggling and chuckling like schoolchildren at the hand of a dirty word. When laughter finally subsided, it was Mari who spoke first.

"Zero, um-" She hesitated. "Well, I do actually have some good news...About um, Grandark."

Zero's eyes widened dramatically behind his mask. What a mood changing statement his friend just said! "What? What is it? Did you bring him back? Is his soul alive?"

Mari held up her hand to silence her excited comrade. "Well it's not much but, he's... Here just come with me. It'd be better if you saw for yourself."

The wanderer obeyed and stood up. Progress! At long last! He helped Mari up and eagerly followed her inside. Inside to where hopefully Grandark was still among the living.

**~Sieghart~**

Sieg watched from his window as the two headed back inside the castle. They were hurrying a bit. Apparently they had something direly important to attend to. Whatever. But a twang of annoyance hit him. He didn't dislike Zero, but the kid had been spending an awful lot of time with Mari lately. Zero wasn't the reason Mari came to Grand Chase._ He_ was. Zero seemed to not remember that. Hopefully he wouldn't have to be reminded.

Whatever. The agitated gladiator stomped out of the room. He was gonna kill some monsters. _Without_ worrying about Zero stealing his girl. Well, not really his girl yet, but still. He just had to let her know of his feelings. That all would have to wait. Monster time now. The gladiator romped out into the corridor, itching to get out and battle. He tore down the stairs and into the foyer, full speed ahead. Right before he got to the front doors though, a pleading voice jerked him to a halt.

"Sieghart!" The voice belonged to Rin. The voluptuous newcomer looked exasperated. "Where are you going today?"

He shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to leave _now_. "Oh I'm just going out to kill some monsters. Just gonna go exploring. Now I really gotta get back to-"

"Come with me to Forgotten City?" asked Rin.

"Wha? Why? I mean, I don't know. Why do you need me to come with you?"

"Well Knight Master told me I have to go to Forgotten City for my next mission, which is fine, but all these places are getting way too hard to go alone and no one will go with me! I can't kill all the big strong monsters by myself anymore. I got scraped up pretty bad in the Marsh. Please help me? You're supposed to be really strong aren't you?"

Sieghart puffed out his chest. "Ah, well, I don't mean to brag or anything, but whatever you heard is probably right. I can go solo and sweep all six continents of any monsters if I really want to..."

"So does this mean you'll help me with me?"

Ugh. He really didn't want to. Hard to believe no other Chasers at all were willing to help.

"Knight Master said something about a recently discovered chamber. There's all sorts of uncatalogued machinery down there." added Rin.

Whoa whoa, what? Machinery? Uncatalogued machinery? That Mari didn't know about? That settled it. Today's exploration would be in Forgotten City.

**~Mari~**

Grandark was unlike anything she'd ever seen. It was not a machine by any standards. However, it shared the exact same archaic implements of magic that many of her machines did. Such an anomaly. What kept Gran's soul bound to the sword? She suspected it was the mysterious glyphs encircling the eye. Even if they weren't the soul's junction, they indeed held critical importance somewhere in the entity.

She looked at Zero. He was hovering an inch over Grandark, scouring the sword for any hint of improvement. Upon a failed reconnaissance, he looked up at her with a deep set frown. "I thought you said he'd gotten better?" he said with discouragement.

She beamed. "He has! Albeit not by much but, well, watch this." She strode across the makeshift mechanical ER and flipped the light off. Back to Gran then. Her attention seemed to be concentrated on the ultra-delicately-repaired glass eye of the sword. Zero focused his attention on the spot too. In the murk of the room, there was something. Barely, hardly, scarcely there at all. But, something _was_ there. In Grandark's clear glass eye, the faint and almost imperceptible green glow. In the shape of a diamond. Grandark's soul.

Zero reeled back in wonderful disbelief. "Holy Agnesia above! Am I really seeing this!" he cried in sheer happiness. "Grandark! He- he's alive!"

Mari was utterly shocked at the amount of pure emotions in her friend's voice. This happiness was appropriate and to be expected but, about as likely as Amy turning hideous. But sure as ever, Zero was shouting in relief. "Grandark, Grandark can you hear me?" he cried to his comrade.

"Zero," Mari whispered. "He's not firmly present. This is only a very unstable start I've found. However I _do_ feel that re-extracting him from his muted Limbo is entirely within our reach..." She offered the only other thing she could, then. A great big smile. Truth was, she found it hard to even verbalize herself in the eloquent manner she held herself accountable for when she found herself speaking with Zero. He _listened_ to her words. That meant she didn't have to ramble incessantly like with others. Needless to say, it brought her immense satisfaction to see him so happy.

The wanderer caressed Gran's cold glass eye. "Grandark...I swear we'll bring you back...I will not fail you again. I swear." A few tears flowed from his mask down to his cheeks as he spoke. They were tears of contentment. He was smiling like a proud new father, and he meant his previous statement with the utmost promise behind it.

"Zero, I um, I actually have more good news. It's more of a theory really, but it might aid Grandark's recover significantly." added Mari when Zero finished his promise.

"Yes?" pried Zero, hungrily eating her words.

"You know of the Paradom in Forgotten City, right? The sentient cube-like machine?"

"Paradom...yeah, yes I know it. Why?"

"I've been doing extensive research lately," (she took pride in announcing this.) "and I've figured out that the Paradom actually has a critical component deep within that analyzes, pulls, and converts data from different plains of being. When I first read this, I was _extremely_ surprised. The Paradoms are thousands of years old! Who ever knew they had something like this at their disposal? In fact, they use them as background programs of sorts. They store vast archives of all data on transcendental creatures and astral walkers they sense in their lifetimes. Sorry I'm rambling again. The point is, I presume to the best of my knowledge that if we can obtain a properly functioning model, I surmise that it will act exclusively as a temporary catalyst for Grandark, and 'suck his soul back' faster than it's returning currently."

Zero understood right away. Any information regarding Grandark sent his mind into overdrive. "Mari! You're a genius! That's excellent! What are we waiting for, let's go! We'll make it by nightfall!"

Before the intuitive machinist could squeeze another word in, the elated wanderer placed a kiss square on her cheek and shot out of the room. Mari slowly drifted after her quest partner, cheeks burning scarlet like wildfire.


End file.
